Abstract
BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is important to general health and knee osteoarthritis (OA). Excessive workplace PA is an established risk factor for knee OA however, appropriate methods of measurement are unclear. There is a need to examine and assess the utility of new methods of measuring workplace PA and estimating knee load prior to application to large-scale, knee OA cohorts. Our aims, therefore, were to monitor workplace PA and estimate lower-limb loading across different occupations in health participants.MethodsTwenty-four healthy adults, currently working full-time in a single occupation (≥ 35 h/week) and free of musculoskeletal disease, comorbidity and had no history of lower-limb injury/surgery (past 12-months) were recruited across New South Wales (Australia). A convenience sample was recruited with occupations assigned to levels of workload; sedentary, light manual and heavy manual. Metrics of workplace PA including tasks performed (i.e., sitting), step-count and lower-limb loading were monitored over 10 working days using a daily survey, smartwatch, and a smartphone.ResultsParticipants of light manual occupations had the greatest between-person variations in mean lower-limb load (from 2 to 59 kg*m/s3). Lower-limb load for most participants of the light manual group was similar to a single participant in heavy manual work (30 kg*m/s3) and was at least three times greater than the sedentary group (2 kg*m/s3). The trends of workplace PA over working hours were largely consistent, per individual, but rare events of extreme loads were observed across all participants (up to 760 kg*m/s3).ConclusionsThere are large interpersonal variations in metrics of workplace PA, particularly among light and heavy manual occupations. Our estimates of lower-limb loading were largely consistent with pre-conceived levels of physical demand. We present a new approach to monitoring PA and estimating lower-limb loading, which could be applied to future occupational studies of knee OA.
Highlights
Workplace and recreational/leisure physical activity (PA) has been shown to be a key contributor to maintaining and improving general health with low levels of Physical activity (PA) associated with increased all-cause mortality [1, 2], among those with pre-morbid conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA) [3]
We present a new approach to monitoring PA and estimating lower-limb loading, which could be applied to future occupational studies of knee OA
Eighteen and one study participant were classified as working in sedentary, light manual and heavy manual occupations, respectively
Summary
Workplace and recreational/leisure physical activity (PA) has been shown to be a key contributor to maintaining and improving general health with low levels of PA associated with increased all-cause mortality [1, 2], among those with pre-morbid conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA) [3]. Despite the known benefits of increasing levels of PA, increasing levels of work-related physical activity, as increasing workload, has been shown to carry an increased risk of disease incidence and progression [4,5,6]. Despite evidence suggesting that PA, as ‘exercise’, with low levels of joint loading may benefit people with OA [10], excessive mechanical loading has been identified as a risk factor for disease [11, 12]. In the general working population, one of the major sources of repetitive and excessive knee force often comes from daily occupational activities. Excessive workplace PA is an established risk factor for knee OA appropriate methods of measurement are unclear. Our aims were to monitor workplace PA and estimate lower-limb loading across different occupations in health participants
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